Electrically-controlled indicator.



W. L. FITZGERALD. ELEOTRIGALLY CONTROLLED INDIQATOB.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1911.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

W. L. FITZGERALD. ELEGTBIGALLY CONTROLLED INDIGATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1911.

Patented NOV. 18, 1913.

SW01 Walter Z1. F'Zlzqerald.

WALTER L. FITZGERALD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICALLY-CONTROLLED INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

Application filed September 19, 1911. Serial No. 650,117.

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat I, WAL'I'ER L. Frrz- GERALD, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrically- Controlled Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This-invention relates to an electric recorder or indicator and has particular application to electrically operated mechanism for indicating a. movement of a fluid or other bodies.

. In the present. instance I have shown my invention as employed for indicating the rise and fall of a body of Water, the, indicating apparatus being located at a distance from the body being measured, but I wish it to be understood that the invention'is not limited in its useful application to this particular purpose. It is my purpose to provide an apparatus of the character described which Wlll embody the desired features of simplicity, accuracy and reliability, and which may be .readily installed in position for use.

With the above-recited objects, and others of a similar nature in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts set forth in and falling within-.the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional View through the circuit closure. 3 is a detail view of the magnets for operating the indicator.

In the present instance, I have shown my device as adapted for indicating the rise or fall of water at a station or stations which I are-remote from the body of water itself.

In the present embodiment ofmy invention, I have shown and described a two *wire electrical indicating recording device separate contact points in close prozrimit-y to the above mentioned contact points butnot I contacting therewith, these last -mentioned wires terminating in two electromagnets so wired and connected that the adjacent poles are opposite. A pivoted current reversing switch is located between the above mentioned pair of contact points so that when the switch is in one position the current will flow in one direction andwhen in an opposite position the current will flow in the reverse direction thereby reversing the pole to the electromagnets from north to south, and vice versa. For operating the contact switch I employ a transmitting gear operated by power from the outside source either back or forward, continuous, alternately, or intermittently. The circuit clos ing current reversing switch when not in contact with the teeth is held in a pentral position between the contact points'by means of a suitable tension device. an electromagnet operating lever having a separate source of current supply-and having a projecting arm extending between the poles of the above mentioned electromagnets so that the reversal of the direction of the1current flow of the circuit connecting the above mentioned pair of electromagnets will attract and repel the electromagnet operating lever in one direction or the opposite direction, depending upon the direction of rotation of the transmitting gear. Whenthe reversing switch is in contact, the magnet operating arm is attractedto one or the other of the pair of magnets and the indicating gear is moved one tooth in-the same direction as the transmittin gear.

While'I have shown an described one particular embodiment of my invention, I wish it'to be understood that I do not limitmyself to all the precise details of construction herein set forth, as modification and variation may be made without'departing from the spirit of the invention, or ex-.

= ceeding the scope of the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings -in detail,

.the numeral 1 indicates a band wheel mounted upon a shaft, journaled above thebody of water in the reservior or the like, said wheel having formed on the eriphe thereof teeth 2 which are suitab y space? apart. The back of this wheel is provided with a rim 3 over which asses'a frictional en- I also employ gaging driving ban 4, one end of which is attached to the float 5 which is adapted to rise and fall with the water W, while the opposite end of the said band is connected to a weight 6.

The numeral 7 designates a pinion mesh-'- ing with the teeth of the band wheel ,and

adapted to be driven by the latter, said quently impart motion to the meshing pinion. in order to indicate the rise or fall of the water 1 :provide at a distant point,-

sueh as at a station or substation, an indicator comprising a dial 9 having the usual scale. 10. while 11 indicates a pointer inran-gen lit the center of the dial and adapted to he operated by suitahle mechanism to move over the dial.

'l he numeral 11' designates a gear wheel which is connected with the pointer 11, While l2 indicates a toothed pinion meshing with the toothed wheel and adapted to imp'ttrt motion to the pointer when operated as hereinafter described.

in order to actuate the indicator pointer on the dial and thereby indicate the movement 'of the hand wheel on the rise or fall of the body of water, I employ a two wire electrical equipment and means for making and tweaking the circuit and for reversing the current to more the indicator pointer in one.

diieeti'on or in the other direction, depending upon the rise or fall of the water.

The numeral 13 designates a switch lever, piroted at 14 above the pinion 7. and having a hereled or pointed end 15 adapted to he struck by the pinion in its rotation so that. the lever is swung, in one direction or the other, depending upon the direction of movement of the said pinion. \Vhen the pointed end of the lever occupies a position he'tween two adjacent teeth of the pinion, sueh switch lever is held in a neutral norin'z vertical position by means of the oppositely acting, tension springs It) and 17, the springs also serving to restore the lever to its normal position after the same has been engaged by each tooth of the pinion 7 'so that the. circuit is intermittently made and broken to impart to the indicating gear a step by step movement as will appear later. The letter 13 indicates the main battery of the electrical equipment. from which leads the. line wire 1!) terminating at the contact point '20 on the base plate. 21 carried by a suitable base hoard located adjacent to the pinion and switch lever. the lever bein designed to swin; over the hoard. I

i r'om the second contact pin 22 the line wire iii leads to the distant station and to the coil 24 of the. (ltl'fiitiiflllglltlt C therein aii'd thence is branched as at 25 to the opposite coil 2t) of the electromagnet C, the return 27 leading to the contact pin 28 on the base plate 29, while 30 is a second contact pin on the piate .29 from which the return ill leads back to the battery. Thus in the circuit just described, if the pinion B is being rotated anti-clockwise or to'the left 'a tooth strikin' the end of the switch lever iii'ii swing t e switch over to the right to:

close the circuit at the contact points or pins. \Vhen the le\' er is in such closed posltion, the eircmt will he made through the wire 15) to the contact pin 20, thence through the connecting portion of the switch to the pin 2-2; thence through the wire 23 to the coil 2st, thence through the wire 25 to the coil 26 of the elect ronia'gneh'c, thence back through the wire '27 to the contact pin 28, thence through the switch to the contact pin 30. thence through the wire 31 back to the hat 'tc ry. \Vhen this'ci'retiit is so made the mag:- net 24 will he energized to attract armature. bar 32 which is pivoted asat 33, the said bar having its iower end formed with a yoke 34, the. op'positt ly dis iose d teeth '35 of which a re slightly inclined inwardly and are adapted to engage with the teeth of the pinion 12 to iu'ip'liit. a step by step movement. to the pinion, cdnseqnently imparting motion to the ointer for the indicator dial. The actuating Min 32 of the pinion is provided with a solenoid 36 and a separate battery 37 wired as at 38 and 39 so that the lever will be readily attracted by one coil or the other when the h'iai'n circuit is closed.

The operation just described takes place when the water is rising and the hand wheel is rotating clockwise. When the level of the water is falling 'the hand wheel will turn toward the left and the. pinion will be ro tate'd so that the. switch lever 13 will he swung 'to the. ieft and contact with the. contact. points it). '41, t2 and 43. respectively. and the points -10 and 41 being upon the base plate 4st, while the points 42 and 43 are upon the base plate 45. When the lever is in such position; the current will he reversed 'an'd flow through the line 19, wire 4:6 to the "contact point 42, thence through the switch to the branch wire 47, thence through the line 27 to the coil 26, thence through the connecting wire 25 to the coil '24, thence through the wire 23 which now forms a part of the. return to the branch wire 48, thence to the contact pin 4 0, thence through the. switch to the pin 4 thence througih the. branch wire 49 to the line 31 and so back to the battery. It 'will thus be noted that when the current revers'rrng switch is in one position the current will flow in one direction and when in the opposite. position the current will 'tlow in the reverse direction. thereby reversing the poles of the electroinagnets from north to south and from south to north, so that the armature will be attracted by one or the other of the coils depending upon the direction of flow of the current, thereby turning. the indicator in the desired direction. i

Having thus described the invention, whatv i claim isz it. The combination of'an indicating device adapted to indicate the rise and fall of a hody "of fluid, eiectioinagfi'etic devices arranged adjacent to the indicating device, a normally open circuit including said electromagnetic devices and having a source of electrical energy therein, means adapted to impart movement to the indicating device upon the energization of the said electromagnetic devices, an operating device adapted to be actuated by the rise and fall of a body of fluid and including a pinion, a switch lever operated from said pinion intermittently, a set of contact points arranged upon each side of the switch lever and adapted to .be engaged by the lever in its nioveme ntand connected in said circuit in such manner that when the lever is moved in one direction the circuit is closed through one set of contacts and energizes the electromagnetic devices to move the indicator in one direction, and when the lever is moved in the opposite di rection, the circuit is closed through the opposite set'of contacts and energizes the electromagnetiedevices to move the indicator in the opposite direction, and means for normally sustaining the switch out of engagement with the contacts and adapted to restore said switch to its normal position subsequent to the movement of the same under the influence of the pinion.

2. The combination of an indicating device adapted to indicate the rise and fall of a body of fluid, electromagnetic devices arranged adjacent the indicating device, a

normally open circuit-including said electromagnetic devices, and a source of electrical energy in the circuit, means adapted to impart movement to the indicating device upon the energization of said electromagnetic devices, an operating device including a pinion adapted to be actuated by the rise and fall of a body of fluid, a switch operatively associated with said pinion and pivoted adjacent thereto and designed to be operated in- --switch lever to its normal position Sn termittently by the teeth of said pinion, a

set of contacts arranged upon each side of said lever and connected in said circuit in such manner that when the lever is moved in-one direction the circuit is closed through one set of contacts and energizes the electromagnetic devices to move the indicator in one direction, and when the lever is moved in the opposite direction, thecircuit is closed through the opposite set of contacts and energizes the electromagnetic'devices to move the indicator in the opposite (inaction, and means for normally sustainingtthe out'of engagement with the contacts, iaid last-named means-operating'to til: quentto the same being operated by each tooth of the pinion to impart to the'indicat-. ing device a step bystep movement.

3. The combination of an indicating device, electromagnetic devices, a normally open circuit for said electromagnetic devices the switch lever and connected in said circuit in such manner that when the lever is moved in one direction the circuit is closed through one setof contacts and energizes the electromagnetic devices to move the indicator in one direction, and when the lever is moved in the opposite direction, the circuit is closed through the opposite set'of contacts and energizes the electromagnetic devices to move the indicator in the opposite direction, and means for normally sustaining the switch out of engagement with the contacts and adapted to restore the same to its normal position subsequent to the movement ofi the switch under the action of the pinion.

4, In an indicator, an indicating device,-

electromagnetic devices, a normally o'pen circuit for said electromagnetic devices and a source of electrical energy therein, means adapted to impart movement to the indicating device upon the energization of said electromagnetic-devices, an operating device including a pinion, a switch operatively associated with said pinion and pivoted adja-.

cent thereto and adaptedto be operated intermittently by the teeth of the pinion, a set of contacts arranged upon each side of the lever and connected in said circuit in such manner that when the lever is moved in one direction the circuit is closed through one set of contacts and energizes the electromagnetic devices to move the indicator in one direction, and when the lever 1s moved in the opposite direction, the circuit is closed.

through the opposite set of contacts and en ergizes the electromagnetic devices to move the indicator in the opposite direction, and means for normally sustaining the switch out of engagement with the contacts, said last-named means operating to restore the switch to its normal position subsequent, to the same being acted upon by each tooth of the pinion whereby a step by step movement is imparted to the indicating device.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER L. FITZGERALD.

Witnesses: a

LOUIS M. Fnmnnnnne, NORMAN J. SMITH. 

